PRINTER'S NO. 1862
No. 187 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY FAIRCHILD, HUTCHINSON AND PHILLIPS, JUNE 2, 1997
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, JUNE 2, 1997
A RESOLUTION 1 Providing for the establishment of a task force in the Health 2 and Human Services Committee to study and determine the 3 impact of the Department of Public Welfare's policy of 4 closing Pennsylvania's mental retardation centers and the 5 department's five-year plan to redesign Pennsylvania's mental 6 retardation services system. 7 WHEREAS, Support of family and friends, quality of care, 8 financial resources and State support are necessary for 9 Pennsylvania's citizens with mental retardation; and 10 WHEREAS, Of the 1,115,000 citizens with mental retardation 11 and their families and communities in this Commonwealth, 64,000 12 receive residential services in the community and 3,100 reside 13 in State centers; and 14 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is refusing to 15 accept citizens with critical needs into mental retardation 16 centers, which has substantially increased per diem costs; and 17 WHEREAS, The Secretary of Public Welfare and the Deputy 18 Secretary for Mental Retardation have initiated the policy of 19 closing all of the mental retardation centers which have been
1 meeting the needs of people with mental retardation and their 2 families; and 3 WHEREAS, The Department of Public Welfare's policy of closing 4 mental retardation centers will have a significant impact on the 5 lives of individuals living in the centers and their families; 6 and 7 WHEREAS, The policy will also result in a critical impact 8 upon the safety and economic strength of the communities being 9 served by the centers; and 10 WHEREAS, The implementation of this policy would require the 11 relocation of thousands of Pennsylvanians with mental 12 retardation into alternative living situations; and 13 WHEREAS, The Department of Public Welfare's policy for 14 closing and the proposal for redesigning the mental retardation 15 service systems of our Commonwealth have created questions and 16 concerns from individuals living in the centers, friends and 17 families of those individuals, members of the community and 18 employees of the closing facilities; and 19 WHEREAS, The closure policy was undertaken prior to the 20 complete review of the department's five-year redesign plan; and 21 WHEREAS, This policy has not been thoroughly investigated by 22 the members of the General Assembly; therefore be it 23 RESOLVED, That a special task force be created to investigate 24 the Department of Public Welfare's policy of closing mental 25 retardation centers and the five-year plan to redesign 26 Pennsylvania's mental retardation services system; and be it 27 further 28 RESOLVED, That the task force consist of 11 members, six from 29 the majority party and five from the minority party; and be it 30 further 19970H0187R1862 - 2 -
1 RESOLVED, That four of the six members from the majority 2 party be appointed from the Health and Human Services Committee 3 by the chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee; and 4 be it further 5 RESOLVED, That three of the five members from the minority 6 party be appointed from the Health and Human Services Committee 7 by the minority chairman of the Health and Human Services 8 Committee; and be it further 9 RESOLVED, That the remaining two members from the majority 10 party be appointed by the Speaker of the House of 11 Representatives; and be it further 12 RESOLVED, That the remaining two members from the minority 13 party be appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of 14 Representatives; and be it further 15 RESOLVED, That the Speaker of the House of Representatives 16 appoint the chairperson of the task force from among its 17 members; and be it further 18 RESOLVED, That the task force may hold hearings, take 19 testimony and make its investigations at such places as it deems 20 necessary in this Commonwealth. Each member of the task force 21 shall have the power to administer oaths and affirmations to 22 witnesses appearing before the task force; and be it further 23 RESOLVED, That the Chief Clerk of the House of 24 Representatives be authorized to pay for all necessary, 25 appropriate and proper expenses incurred by the task force. E30L82JRW/19970H0187R1862 - 3 -